Feathering paddle-wheel



(Modem R. FORWARD.

FEATHERING PADDLE WHEEL.

No. 417,162. Patented Dec. 10, 1889. v

Q/ b 'h m 1 m 5 E Ill "ll lllllllllh- If I WITNESSES: INVENTOR Z QM ZZ05. Era/Mal A UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROSS FORWARD, or cINcINNATI, oI-IIo.

FEATHERING PAD'DLE-WHEEL,

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,162, dated December 10, 1889.

Application filed August 12,1889. $erial No. 320,469. (No model.)

10 all whom it nuty concern.-

Be it known that I, ROSS FORWARD, of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Feathering Paddle \Vheels,

which improvement is fully set forth in the accompanying February 29,1876, No. 174,220; and it consists, first, in making the eccentric groove which receives the sliding bars in the form of a circle eccentrically disposed, instead of an irregular path with no common ccn ter, and giving it a revolving center on the pad dle-wheel shaft just so far from the true center as will serve to move the slides the required distance to catch and hold in one position of their revolution the revolving paddle-cams and loosen them at another; and, secondly, in altering the shape of the paddlecalns by dispensing with the pointed shortshoulders, which, as shown in the aforenamed Letters Patent, have their sides disposed'tangentially, and in also obviating the necessity of the horizontally-disposed or radial shoulders, as shown in Fig. 5 of said patent. I11- stead thereof the cams in this invention have their lower side concentric with the center or pivotal. point to a point-slightly above the horizontal central line, from which point the cam is formed into a short tangential line and then bent inwardly toward each other on a tangential line the point of which is truncated. This change in the cam is called for by reason of making the eccentric path a regular circle, and in order to gain thrust from the submerged paddle from the moment it touches the water, which this improvement enables it to do by entering more perpendicularly or edgewise into the water, as will now be fully set forth in detail.

In the drawings, A represents the wheel,

which is suitably journaled in a pillow block or frame having suitable radial arms B and perimeters O. The paddles D are pivoted near the ends of the arms B and made heavier on one side of the center than on the other, so that gravity will always tend to keep them in a perpendicular plane. They are also made wider on one side than on the other, so that when they enter the water the pressure of the water on the blade will cause them to let go at the proper moment, and thus prevent them from lifting water. Thus, as shown at Figs. III and IV, the blades below the center pivot E represent the wide part of the paddles, and when not acted upon by the water or held in any position by means of the sliding arms or studs will be in the vertical position shown in those figures.

The blades D have at each end a peculiarlyshaped cam F. The lower half of these cams are concentric with the pivot E, and slightly above the center at each side the edge of the cam branches out, as shown at G, a short distance, and then branches inwardly, as shown at IT, or converging toward each other, the

upper end being truncated, as shown at I.

The radial arms B are each provided with movement of the disk is limited by an integral stud N coming into contact with the studs M M.

On one face of the disk L is a circular groove 0, cccentrically disposed thereon, and each oneof the slots J of the radial arms is equipped with a slide I, one end of which has a stud Q, on one side, which rests within the slot J while the other end has a stud R on its other side, which travels in the circular groove '0. The studs Q on the outer ends of the slide-arms Pare designed to come in contact with the cams F on the ends of the paddles, and the object in disposing of this circular groove 0 eccentrically with. the paddle-Wheel shaft is to provide for the vertical positions of the paddles and to hold them in proper vertical position when the paddles are thrust into the Water at the downward stroke. To illustrate, suppose that the line 00 in Fig. I represents the surface of the Water. The blade on being held in a verticalposition by means of the stud Q, and having the largest surface of the blade below the center pin E prevents the blade or paddle from being turned. The inclined face H, which is in contact with the pin Q, provides for the vertical adjustment of the paddle as the Wheel travels through the Water. The circular reove -being eccentrically disposed, draws up the slide-arm P, so as to compensate for the downward travel and the inclination of thejedge of' the'cain.

'llh'eladvant'age secured by this invention and changing eonstruct'ioii'is the'greatly re duced' friction upon' the slide pins or studsQ, saving Wear and tear and giving inereased power tothe'thr'ust' of thewheel, inasmuch as thiseoristruction doesnot' holdthe'paddles in a cutting position in the u' ater'until, as shown in-Fig. 40f theoriginal patent, the slide-stud releases the shoulders on the cam, but the paddle drops more perpendicularly into* the Water and continues to push against its breadth of the water uiitil it gains'its entire depth and passes beyond th'e'point Where'th'e cam-head is released.

A further great advantage is secured by the present construction of the can], because thereby the paddle is earlier dropped into a pushing position and'held in such a" manner as to prevent itsnioving with a sudden blow to strike the shoulder of the stud or slide-arm, and thus affect it injuriously.

As the manner of reversing thew'lieel and the disk containing theeccentric groove is the same as in the patent already issued to me, there is no particular necessity in refer-,

ring to that feature, and I have therefore omit-ted an allusion to it.

hat I claim as new is 1. A paddle-Wheel having on the pillowblock and pivoted to the paddle-Wheel shaft a disk limited in its rotation by suitable studs and provided thereon with a circular groove eccentrie'ally disposed, andsuitablc slide -'arrns engaging with said eccentric groove and with the cams of the paddles, substantially as herein set forth.

2. In a paddle-wheel, the paddles pivoted at each end with the largest-surface bladebelow the pivot] and having a provided with con cenu-idlower edge and tangentiallydi's'posed faces on its upper side, substantially as herein set forth.

3. Ina paddle-Wheel, the paddles pivot-ed at eaehend \vith'the' largest sur'f'ace blade'below the pivot and having cain' previded with concentric lower edge andtangentiallydisposed faces, in coiiibination v'v'i tli slideanus forh olding'an d releasing said cam s; substantially as herein set forth. I I H 4. In featheringpaddle-Wheels, thecombination of the disk having the eceeiitrieallydisposerl'cireular groove in onera'ce with the slide-arms eaeh'havinga stud at one'ena'to travel in said groove and a cam on itsot-her end, each cain'being made with a concentric lower edge and tangentially-disposed faces, substantially as deseribed.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing. I have hereunto set my hand, this 6th day of September, 1888, in the presence of Witnesses.

ROSS FORWARD;

\Vitnesses; v

J]. S; ZERBE, R. S. MILLAR. 

